Author: Eric Olander
Eric Olander is the co-founder of the China Global South Project (CAP), an independent, non-partisan media initiative dedicated to exploring every facet of China’s engagement in Africa. Eric is a fluent Mandarin-speaker and a longtime China-watcher with more than 25 years of journalism experience at many of the world’s leading media companies including CNN, the BBC, and FRANCE24 among others. He received his undergraduate degree in East African History from the University of California at Berkeley and holds a master’s degree in Chinese Public Affairs from the University of Hong Kong.
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AfDB President: “Africa Has Absolutely No Debt Crisis”
The Chinese are often accused of fueling a debt crisis in Africa due to excessive lending. While are certainly worrisome levels of debt in some countries, particularly Djibouti, Zambia and Kenya among others, the president of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, told Bloomberg that worries ...
China’s Ambassador to Ghana Celebrates Burgeoning Trade Ties but Also Reveals a Key Problem
Chinese diplomats across Africa have been unusually visible in recent days as part of an effort to raise awareness about what will likely be the world's largest birthday party later this week (October 1) to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the modern Chinese state ...
U.S. Army Panel Discussion Explores Cultural and ‘Soft Power’ ‘Influences’ of China, Russia, and France in Africa
“Cultural and ‘Soft Power’ ‘Influences’ of China, Russia, and France in Africa” was the topic of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College’s Cultural and Area Studies Office (CASO) first presentation of the school year, Wednesday, Sep. 25, at the Lewis and Clark Center's Arnold Conference ...
Chinese Company Bids to Buy One of East Africa’s Largest Cement Companies
Chinese building materials manufacturer Huaxin Cement Company is bidding to buy ARM Cement’s Tanzania subsidiary, Maweni Limestone Ltd., for $116 million, according to a report in Construction Kenya. The deal, still subject to regulatory approval, highlights a key trend ...
Financing the Future of the Belt and Road Initiative in Africa
The London-based think tank Overseas Development Institute convened a panel discussion this week to explore how China plans to finance future development along its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This discussion is particularly timely given that a slowing economy back home is being credited for
China Remains Top Troop Contributor to UN Peacekeeping Ops in Africa Among Permanent Five Security Council Members
Some new data is now available regarding Chinese military and police forces who now operate under UN command in African peacekeeping operations. China is also the second-largest contributor to ...
The Chinese Mobile Phone Company That Dominates in Africa is Now Worth $4 billion
The Shenzhen-based parent company of the hugely popular Tecno brand of phones in Africa went public this week and raised $395 million dollars in an initial public offering on Shanghai's brand new NASDAQ-like tech-focused stock exchange. Transsion Holdings sold 80 million ...
The Legend of Hambantota and China’s “Debt Trap” Diplomacy
China's critics, largely in the U.S., often hold up the Sri Lankan port in Hambantota as the cautionary tale of what purportedly can happen when a developing country fails to pay back its loans to Beijing. Because Sri Lanka fell behind ...
Florida Governor Calls China an “Adversary” Determined to Control Resources in Africa
Florida governor Rick Scott is by no means an important voice on foreign policy matters but he does offer some insight here on how a lot of senior US politicians now consider China to be an "adversary" who's determined to exert influence around the world.
Kenyan Borrowing From Japan Surges as Chinese Lending Slows
New data from the National Treasury in Nairobi revealed a dramatic surge in borrowing from Japan, up 162% to more than $1.3 billion during the period of June 2018 to June 2019. The increase in Japanese loans comes as China is slowing its lending to Kenya. "China’s ...
Sinohydro Stops Work on Zambia Hydroelectric Dam
Citing "difficulties beyond its control" (translation: they haven't been paid), China’s state-owned Sinohydro has stopped work building the 750mw Kafue Gorge hydroelectric dam in Zambia, dealing a major blow for the country's drive for energy self-sufficiency and the livelihoods of thousands of workers on the project.
The Kenyan Government is Forcing Transport Companies to Use the SGR
Cargo Transporters in Kenya oppose move by the government making it compulsory for cargo transported by the SGR #KTNBusiness #KTNBusinessToday pic.twitter.com/eHlSEaDf9K — ktn (@KTNKenya) September 23, 2019